How many ‘treats’ do your DC get per week?

[Rainallnight]

We don’t keep biscuits or chocolate or anything in the house. However, we are in the habit of getting the kids something sweet while we’re out at, say, a park, a museum, an attraction.

This is turning out to be quite a lot over the summer but can be a lot even in term time (looking at DP who also buys a treat on tbe way home from piano or tutoring 😬).

I’d love to know the norm in other families. We don’t seem to be massively out of kilter with people where we live, but still.

Well, we pretty much always have some homemade cake or biscuits in the house. But that wouldn't be classed as a treat in this house, and would be eaten pretty much daily.

Ice-cream, sweets, chocolate bars etc maybe once a month - but if we didn't have the above frequently, probably more often.

We have biscuits and chocolate in the house most of the time, they probably have 1 thing a day at least. We don't really count that as a treat though, it's usually pudding. A treat for us is something from a coffee shop or something a bit bigger, and that is usually once a week depending on what we're doing, sometimes more

We always had snacks in the house, not my choice but DH has a sweet tooth. DDs could pretty much help themselves if it wasn't close to a meal being ready. They were always good eaters and have always been a healthy weight and never had dental problems.

Daily, usually saved for after our evening meals as a pudding/treat. So ice cream, cake, custard, chocolate, lolly etc.
Also when out and about at museums and parks for example, quite happily pick up an ice lolly x

My 2, 3 is still a baby. Get plenty of treats. I'm not a restricted parent

Weekdays less, perhaps every other day? Weekends probably something each day. I try to make sure we have homemade biscuit or cake options as much as possible, but struggling to manage this at the moment due to a small baby. Around birthdays and Christmas/easter it all goes out the window for a few days and we just eat whatever. And ice cream consumption definitely higher through the summer! I try not to make a big thing about it and don’t class it as a ‘treat’. We just have sweet things in moderation.

Not classed as ‘treats’ here, nothing is as I’d rather they focus on balance rather than seeing food as a reward/treat. I’d say they have one a day at least (something like a twix in lunchbox) and sometimes after dinner. But both also turn them down if they don’t fancy anything which is key as they’ve both had friends over that went a bit wild in the snack cupboard as it’s a ‘big thing’ and that’s what I’ve aimed to avoid.

They are allowed one item (a bar of chocolate / ice cream / homemade cake / 3 sweets) after dinner at 6pm. We don't buy desserts in restaurants / coffee stops etc as it costs over £30 easy

Sugar items are given at home as its cheaper that's why we have it in. Yes I still think they eat too much but I can be a sugar monster too on an evening. I will buy KC doughnuts etc when out.

When its really hot they will probably have 2 ice creams a day

Mine are allowed to eat what they fancy, including food with sugar in it. We, as another poster said, focus on nutrition education rather than restriction. So we discuss what makes a healthy, balanced meal. I do try to make sure they eat sugar after a balanced meal, and explain why that is better.

once they are bigger, they will have access to sugar and I’d rather they don’t see it as an illicit pleasure but rather just part of a balanced diet.

I'm pretty relaxed about this. They can have something from treat box on a weekend afternoon. After tea is usually a lolly or ice cream unless they've had a treat already in which case it's yoghurt and/or fruit.

I did similar. Dd loves to bake so there’s often something sweet in the house. As they are now teenagers, they’re really into staying healthy so they’ll generally eat healthy and exercise of their own choice. They will also have a bag of Doritos or some Ben and Jerrys from time to time, knowing they’re eating junk and know to limit it.

We always have biscuits in the house, I don’t consider them a treat - it’s much cheaper having snacks at home than buying something when we’re out and about. A treat here would be a nice pudding or cake in a coffee shop, we do that every couple of weeks.

I don’t restrict sugar and never have. I keep chocolate and biscuits around and DD can help herself.

Maybe because of this, DD is not hugely fussed by sweet things although she does like an ice cream from the van.

But - she eats adventurously and well, is very slim, fit and active and doesn’t over do it. I’m not sure I’d carry on the free access if those things weren’t the case.

My mother restricted a lot of ‘unhealthy’ food in my childhood which I’ve found difficult to manage in adult life so I wanted to avoid this for DD.

We don’t really have ‘treats’. If DS wants a biscuit, he can have it (unless it’s immediately before a meal). I trust that if you don’t put limits on things than they learn to self-regulate. This is definitely true of DS who will go for days without a “treat” if he doesn’t fancy one.

I dont restrict chocolate biscuits ice cream at home. When we are out for the day they will get a fancier ice cream like a mr whippy etc.
My girls friends are restricted and they binge eat sugary foods at other people's houses and the shop whilst keeping it from their parents or lying.
Id rather just teach them to have a healthy balanced diet.